[1] Born on 8 August 1895 in Jouy-sur-Morin, Navarre turned out to be a difficult child who challenged his teachers and frequently played truant with his younger brother.

[fn 1] He then joined the MS12 reconnaissance squadron, flying Morane-Saulnier L aircraft,[3] nicknamed 'parasol' due to the large upper wing covering most of its narrow fuselage.

[citation needed] Shortly thereafter, on 1 April 1915, Navarre was the pilot when his observer shot down a German Aviatik north of Fismes.

On 2 August 1915, he was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur, with the citation based as much on secretive special missions as on aerial victory.

[fn 2] Navarre began his victory string with his new unit by scoring one of the first "doubles" of the war, downing a Fokker E.III and a German two-seater on 26 February 1916, and becoming one of the first flying aces in history.

[6] Navarre tallied half a dozen more wins during the next three months and on May 19, 1916 he shot down a German Aviatik C over Chattancourt, France, becoming the first Allied ace credited with 10 victories.

In addition to their growing reputation as flying aces, Navarre and Nungesser also became extremely popular in Parisian nightlife for a number of colorful and unorthodox stunts.

Fellow pilot Charles Godefroy would eventually perform the historic flight through the Arc de Triomphe a few weeks later on 7 August 1919.